Kickboard Workout

A kickboard, a roughly rectangular piece of Styrofoam, is part of a well-rounded swimming workout. Kickboards can be purchased at most sporting good stores, or pools will have them for your use. Try a kickboard workout to add some specialized training to your next pool workout.

  1. Warm Up

    • Warm up for five to 10 minutes. Warmups should consist of all of your swimming strokes and are designed to get the muscles moving and allow the body to work through full range of motion. Use both front and back strokes when you are warming up.

    Kicking on Front with a Flutter

    • Hold the kickboard under your arms out in front of you. Push off from the side of the pool and kick your legs up and down. The kick is mostly from the hips, with a slight bend in the knees and a snap of the foot. If your hips are dropping down, push the kickboard down under your arms a bit to raise the hips back up to the surface.

    Side Kicking

    • A kickboard can also be used to work on a side kick. Put the kickboard under one arm and push off onto the side. The flutter kick is now much larger and longer, and you can work well into the legs. When you kick on your side, face the same direction, so that each leg spends time in the top and forward kicking position.

    Breaststroke and Butterfly

    • A kickboard also allows you to work on the breaststroke kick, which is a technical stroke. With the upper body supported by the board, you can focus on drawing in the legs and the whip kick without worrying about the entire stroke.

      The butterfly or dolphin kick is a great kick to use with a board. The double flutter works all through the lower body and the core. To get a bigger kick, hold the board way out in front of you, only in your hands. This will allow for more movement in the body.

    Socialize with a Kickboard

    • Swim workouts can be very solitary, so having a kickboard allows for a bit of socialization. Your head is up and out of the water most of the time while using a board, so this is the time for a bit of chatting with your lane mates. A kickboard can also be used as a floating chair when you are resting at the end of a set, as well.